Long Sheriff’s Office joins National Crime Map

Special to the Courier

POSTED:February 3, 2011 7:00 a.m.

Neighborhood safety is consistently a hot-button issue in communities throughout Coastal Georgia. Who hasn’t grown curious about what’s happening when flashing blue lights fly down a residential street? Long County residents who want to know how safe their neighborhoods are can now find out through a new partnership between the Long County Sheriff’s Office and CrimeReports, creator of the National Crime Map, at www.CrimeReports.com.

"Providing reliable, timely information to our citizens is one of our top priorities," Sheriff Cecil Nobles said. "Partnering with CrimeReports gives us the ability to keep the public informed on a regular basis as to what is going on in the community."

The public can access the crime map 24 hours a day through the website or through the CrimeReports iPhone application, available for free at the Apple iTunes store. The service also allows local residents to sign up for free, customizable e-mail alerts so they can stay on top of crime in their neighborhoods.

"Information is power," Nobles said, "and we hope that giving the community this information will help them prevent crime in their neighborhoods."

The CrimeReports service costs the office $49 per month.

Greg Whisenant, founder and CEO of CrimeReports, said, "The Long County Sheriff’s Office is a leader in law enforcement innovation. They are demonstrating their commitment to the community, to proactive policing and fiscal responsibility."

The Long County Sheriff’s Office joins more than 1,600 other law enforcement agencies of all sizes across the United States that share their crime information with the public through the map, such as Baltimore, Boston, San Jose, Calif., San Francisco, Portland, Ore., Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles County.